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DigMandarin Community Forums How can I improve my ability to speak Chinese?

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    • #81
      aronchung
      Participant

      I am already familiar with Chinese language. I can read a lot, but speaking. thx

    • #89
      BenjaminGibbs
      Participant

      There are many methods you could use to strengthen your skills. You may consider hiring a tutor or studying sentence structure on your own. You could even try a system like Pimsleur. Though their method is lacking when it comes to building up a good voacanulary, the Pimsleur method is a less arduaous way to learn simple sentences and provide a refresher for anything you may know somewhat, but not have full confidence in. It’s important to go over the lessons you think you know- but you can move through them quickly. When you reach something you find you haven’t heard before: slow down, pay attention. To sum it up, you should use Pimsleur as a review and helpful reiteration of basic lessons and as a way to give you confidence and skill in conversational Chinese.

      You can also make an SRS system, such as Anki, a part of your study routine. It can help you learn more quickly and consistently

       In addition to all of these other methods, there are things like podcasts. popupchinese.com is a good one to start with. Using a podcast is very easy- they update automatically, like an RSS feed, and are downloaded directly into your mp3 player. After the initial setup, all you have to do is take it with you.

    • #94
      RebeccaZhang
      Participant

      Being better at Chinese can be broken down into simple steps:

      1. More than anything, you should work towards a bigger vocabulary. It’s important to know the words you need. Don’t forget that you need verbs as well as nouns. It’s simple to add a little practice to your everyday routine. Even learning as few as five words every day can really add up and won’t get to be overwhelming. 5 words a day = 25 words in a week.

      2. Try to learn 3 sentece structures or grammar rules every week. Practice and memorise them, they may seem boring but they are key to pickin gup this language. Don’t be intimidated: If you’re reading this, you probably know English pretty well- Chinese grammar isn’t nearly as difficult to learn as English grammar. It’s practical. Try learning this:
      -how to ask questions : 什么(shénme), 怎么(zěnme), 哪儿(nǎ’er),谁(shuí)…
      -how to describe where something is
      -how to describe the feathers of something
      these just some examples…

      3. Learn words or phrases that go together.
      因为(yīn wei ,because)….所以(suǒyǐ,so)….
      如果(rúguǒ,if)….
      ….的时候(de shíhou ,when)

      It’s important to pick up a good workbook. My recommendation is any grammar book by Yip-po Ching and Don Rimmington, published by Routledge. In order for these to be most effective, do the lessons in the books- don’t skip doing the book and only read. (If you can’t use the correct characters, pinyin will work as a replacement for now.) The books provide exercises suitable to either style with answers in the back. If you take the time and care to craft your sentences as best you can- the grammar points and lessons you need should stick and be there when called upon. It may seem like a slow trudge at first, but the more you learn and get into the habit of learning you will make a solid foundation and pick up pace.

      In order to be a good conversationalist in Chinese, you need the opportunity to speak it and be critiqued or get some sort of feedback. If your everyday routine doesn’t call for it- find an opportunity. It might be nerve-wrecking at first, trying to keep up. You might not know what to say, how to respond,- but it’s okay. This is part of learning. It’s a big confidence booster when you get your message across, or can pull off a simple conversation.

      This is just like any other learning process. You’ll need time, practice, and patience with yourself.

    • #781
      Katherine
      Participant

      1. Take the initiative

      Talking with others in Chinese, developing good language habits. When you talking with Chinese, pay attention to the speaking tones and grasp some popular expressions.

      2. Watching Chinese TV

      Often watching Chinese TV and listening to Chinese broadcast, you can improve your spoken Chinese quickly, and these are also the most effective means to improve your Chinese listening skills. Get Chinese TV recommendation here: Top 5 TV Shows For Learning Chinese.

      3. Dialogue training

      Through the dialogue training, we can grasp some practical Chinese.

      4. Replace exercise

      Replace some of the ingredients of the original sentence to practice, through this way we can expand our thinking, it is also a good way to rich the exercise content.

      5. Images Talking

      Using a variety of image to practice talking. This oral practice method is more vivid, intuitional and visual.

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